573 Needs new clutch with under 300 hours?

[CelticArmor]

2009 4wd 573 apparently needs a new clutch. PTO grinds and will not engage properly. No other noticeable symptoms. At an MF/Agco Dealer (not the one I purchased from. It went out of business). They are saying it will be a 20+/- hour job! I have less than 300 hours on this tractor! Two questions for those more experienced:

1. What may I be doing that has contributed to the premature wearing out of the clutch? Feel free to ask questions. I do not know enough to provide info.

2. Do I have any right to expect MF/Agco to help with this repair at all (Obviously out of warranty and no extended warranty purchased)?

Many thanks!
Gene

 

[Harry in Ky]

Warranty/help from AGCO? Not a chance! With clutches, one must prove some sort of actual part failure beyond a shadow of doubt before warranty will cover any part of it, and it MUST be declared during the first year after delivery, or whatever time frame your "bumper to bumper" coverage includes.
As for the problem -- could be as simple as the pto disc stuck to one of the internal surfaces. In some climates, a dry clutch plate can stick in as little as a few weeks when left unused. I've seen it happen overnight. A five or six year old tractor with less than 300 hrs spends a great deal of time unused. If your disc is stuck, then the pto, when engaged, would not stop turning, even under load, when the pedal is fully depressed. Yes/no, in your case? If the pto will stop, but simply fights you to get it engaged, maybe an internal adjustment might help.
In any case, with a tractor that gets such little use, the pedal should be locked/blocked in the down position when left for periods of time without being used in order to prevent discs from sticking in the future.
Just curious, how does the pto shift with the engine off?

 

[groundcover]

Using the clutch as a foot rest ? I've seen them taken out in a day that way.

 

[farmer2009]

Doubt you did anything wrong. It's the clutch. Same clutch that's used in a 471. There is no adjustment to it. High release point. Yea you can thread the clutch linkage a little and get another few hours out of it. Start looking into how many hours people are getting out of the 471 clutches. Dad got 1200 hours. He was on the high end from what I could tell. He said when this one goes the tractor goes. Most less than 1,000 hours.

The dealer probably quoted time from the service manual. And that's how he'll charge. And with two people splitting it it'll eat that 20 hours pretty fast. Clutch should run you around $500 internet pricing.

 

[CelticArmor]

Please explain and tell me how[/COLOR]!
Just curious, how does the pto shift with the engine off? For a while it would still shift. Now, not so much
Will respond with outcome when it is known.

 

[timberjackrob]

I guess the 573 didn't have independent pto? my 481 did had 2500hrs on it when I traded it no issues I thought all the 400/500 series had ipto but I guess it was an option.

 

[zzvyb6]

How do you know the clutch is 'bad' ?? Has it been peeked at and is worn out ? Or, is it contaminated with oil or grease and it's sticking...

 

[PoorPlowboy]

Oil contamination will cause it to slip excessively. If it's sticking, the plate is sticking to the flywheel when it patinas over from extended sitting. My older MFs had a hook to lock the clutch in the depressed position to prevent sticking issues.

 

[timberjackrob]

2009 4wd 573 apparently needs a new clutch. PTO grinds and will not engage properly. No other noticeable symptoms. At an MF/Agco Dealer (not the one I purchased from. It went out of business). They are saying it will be a 20+/- hour job! I have less than 300 hours on this tractor! Two questions for those more experienced:

1. What may I be doing that has contributed to the premature wearing out of the clutch? Feel free to ask questions. I do not know enough to provide info.

2. Do I have any right to expect MF/Agco to help with this repair at all (Obviously out of warranty and no extended warranty purchased)?

Many thanks!
Gene

if the only problem you have is grinding when engaging the pto the pto clutch should just need a slight adjustment which on all two stage clutches ive ever owned had to be done thru the bottom inspection plate